YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hello people!

I have been meaning to share some of the things that helped me on my journey out of depression, my personality disorder and just the troubles that life gives you. There are a couple of people, their ideas and philosophies that inspired me greatly and I'ld like to share them here.
I collected a couple of videos, blogs and stuff that might help some of you too and I would like to add more, when I find the time.
Feel free to add comments, quotes, ideas and links.

Some thoughts about mental illness and struggle:

Brene Brown - The power of vulnerability
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o
A touching and transformative speech about vulnerability.
"Vulnerability seems to be the core of shame, fear and the struggle for worthiness but also the birthplace of joy, creativity, belonging and love."

Susan Cain - The power of introverts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4
Is being an extrovert really a shortcoming? Or is it a crucial ingredient for creativity and productivity? I find this talk also to be a great encouragement to question society's standards on how to be and to shape your environment based on your personality and not the other way around.

Ruby Wax - What's so funny about mental illness?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbbMLOZjUYI
What once made you save, now makes you insane. Or why your pet is happier than you are.

Eve Ensler: Security and insecurity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEF_Dicq3c4
How striving for security makes ourselves and the world around us more insecure, instable and miserable.

On creativity and the fear of putting yourself out there:

Vi Hart's Guide to Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IJyRAUxtAQ
This talk is targeted towards youtubers and how to deal with "negative comments". But not being a youtuber myself, I found this very inspiring with the way I deal with negativity or just the threat of criticism. This might be helpful to you Paul and everyone else who shares the things they believe in.
Also: check out her channel! There is more of this epicness where this video came from.

Elizabeth Gilbert: Your elusive creative genius
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA
How to live your creativity without being eaten alive by it. A great look on being an artist and the way society treats its artists. I find this also to be a great talk about the ego and how it can drain the joy out of the things you love doing.

Ira Glass on being creative
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ResTHKVxf4
This is the advice that noone gives you when you start doing something. A great piece of advice not just for creative people, but for perfectionists in general.

On body image and self acceptance:

Meghan Tonjes - I AM FAT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-BxWV77MGc
Why the word fat is not an insult. Meghan Tonjes is also a lovely singer and youtuber.

Just great people:

Zefrank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkKxONJOp4
This guy is just awesome. He is funny and smart. And behind his rapidly moving eyebrows he is a modern poet. His videos are honest, humorous and sometimes heartbreakingly touching. I found it hard to pick just one video from his youtube channel. But for the sake of my layout I did.


Enjoy!

Some more links

The Perils of Perfectionism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQJQyeW-tYM
Stefan Molyneux, Canadian Philosopher and host of http://www.freedomainradio.com about Perfectionism:
Some of the things he has to say about perfectionism you probably never thought about in that way.
Also: some interesting thoughts on self-esteem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nYCsx4wano

Superbetter
https://www.superbetter.com/
Making getting better a mission. Especially for all the game geeks out there and anyone how wants to approach their challenges in a playful manner.
Video about the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBpsV1Hwqs

Make good Art
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plWexCID-kA
Neil Gaiman's famous speech on doing what you love doing

Alain de Boton, Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVA8jX9K ... 3243B7D31B
Classic philosophy on happiness. I find Alain de Boton to be sometimes a little depressing but most of these six episodes are really interesting and hopefully inspiring.

"emoflex" Stress Relief Technique
During my DBT/Skills-Therapy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectica ... or_therapy) I have learned this amazing technique to deal with intense and sudden emotions. I have tried to find some information about this in English, but as it appears it seems to be rather "new", so the only instructions I could find are in German. But I do know, that this whole thing is based on the EMDR Trauma Therapy. With a combination of eye movements and visualising emotions and events, you can significantly lower any "negative" feelings and stress instantly. (Mind you that this doesn't mean that you don't have to sort out your sh*t in therapy, but it is a quick relief especially for people who suffer from personality disorders, addictions, anxiety, PTSD and probably depression too. It is a "quick fix" for these moments when your thoughts and feelings might get you into trouble and gives you a chance to clear your head again.)
In case anyone of you is able to read german, this is the site: http://emoflex.com/
If anyone else is interested in this, I can try to translate some of the info and the instructions to this technique (after me checking if I am legally allowed to do that).

Carly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZVV4Ciccg
An inspiring story about a young autistic girl, the power of the written word, technology and the love of a father.

Thank you for posting! This is a great list